7 September 1995: Jamie Acourt is discharged after it is ruled there is insufficient evidence that he was at the scene of the murder.

8 September 1995: David Norris is discharged on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

17 April 1996: Neil Acourt, Luke Knight and Gary Dobson go on trial at the Old Bailey in a private prosecution for the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

25 April 1996: The case collapses after the trial judge Mr Justice Curtis rules that identification evidence from Duwayne Brooks is in admissible. All three are formally acquitted and under double jeopardy rules cannot be charged with the same crime again.

13 February 1997: The inquest into Stephen Lawrence’s death returns a verdict of unlawful killing.

14 February 1997: The Daily Mail newspaper prints a front page branding the five suspects “Murderers” and challenging them to sue if they are wrong.

March 1997: The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) announces its own investigation into the handling of the case.

31 July 1997: Weeks after the Labour Party win a landslide election, Home Secretary Jack Straw announces a judicial inquiry into the case to be headed up by retired High Court judge Sir William Macpherson.

15 December 1997: The PCA report into the original police investigation identifies “significant weaknesses, omissions and lost opportunities”.

16 March 1998: The Macpherson inquiry opens.

15 June 1998: The inquiry is shown a video secretly recorded by the police, which show the suspects brandishing knives and expressing extreme violent racist views.

17 June 1998: Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Johnston says he is “very sorry” to have let the Lawrence family down.

29 June 1998: The Lawrence family call on the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Condon to resign.

20 July 1998: The suspects give evidence to the inquiry amid charged scenes. They are pelted with bottles as they leave and have to flee to avoid being attacked.

1 October 1998: Sir Paul Condon apologises to the Lawrence family for police failings but denies that the force is institutionally racist.

24 February 1999: The Macpherson Report is published and concludes that the police investigation was "marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers". It makes 70 recommendations.

5 May 2004: The CPS announces there is insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone for Lawrence's murder.

April 2005: The Government scraps the double jeopardy legal principle which prevented suspects being tried twice for the same crime.

July 2006: A BBC documentary alleges police corruption in the Lawrence case and suggests Clifford Norris, the gangland father of one of the prime suspects, might have paid former detective sergeant John Davidson for information about the investigation.

October 14 2007: Independent Police Complaints Commission finds no evidence of police corruption and no evidence of dishonest links between Mr Davidson and Clifford Norris.

8 November 2007: Police conducting a cold case review into the case confirm they are investigating new forensic evidence.

18 December 2009: The Independent Police Complaints Commission announce that a 62-year old retired constable and a 53-year-old member of police staff have been arrested for allegedly failing to pass on information to the Lawrence inquiry. They were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

2 March 2010: The IPCC announces no further action is to be taken against police officer and civilian worker arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

9 July 2010: Gary Dobson is jailed for five years after admitting supplying £350,000 of cannabis.

19 May 2011: It is announced that David Norris and Gary Dobson will stand trial for murder after significant new evidence was discovered.

15 November 2011: David Norris and Gary Dobson go on trial at the Old Bailey charged with murdering Stephen Lawrence.

3 January 2012: David Norris and Gary Dobson are found guilty of the murder of Stephen Lawrence following three days of deliberations.

31 May 2012: Reviews carried out by both the Metropolitan Police Service and the police watchdog the Independent Complaints Commission (IPCC) find no new evidence.

1June 2012: Theresa May announces new inquiry looking into police corruption during the original Macpherson Inquiry.